MOZART: Concerto No. 20 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra, K. 466. (cadenzas by Reinicke)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Victor 78rpm Album M-420. Recorded May 7, 1937.
Digital transfer by F. Reeder


This audio is part of the collection: 78 RPMs & Cylinder Recordings
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Artist/Composer: Bruno Walter, piano and conductor
Keywords: Bruno Walter; Mozart; piano; 78rpm

Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0

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Reviewer: Graham W - - July 11, 2010
Subject: Supurb old 1937 recording of the Mozart's 20th/K466 performed and conducted by Bruno Walter at his peak.
 
I am used to listening to the Mozart 20th/K466 on modern vinyl and CD recordings but the lower fidelity of this superb 73-year-old Bruno Walter 78RPM recording hardly detracts from one's enjoyment of the performance, especially the Romanza--the slow second movement.

The Romanza is a work of genius, seemingly so simple yet so eloquent so poignant and beautiful and Walter's interpretation of it is just wonderful. He plays with great ease and finesse and brings the movement home with such delicacy and satisfying completeness that I struggle to find a post war recording that is its equal.

This performance perhaps shows more than any other recording what an incomparable professional Bruno Walter was, as he recorded the concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic in May 1937 only ten months before the Anschluss of Austria in March 1938. As a Jew living in the turmoil of that time and under pressure to leave Austria, you would think the stress would show up in his music yet the Romanza is a model of serenity and perfection.

The Mozart piano concertos have always had a special place in my life and it's always a great pleasure to come across another recording, especially so of a great performance of Bruno Walter at his peak.